Those skilled in the art are aware of numerous situations wherein the position of the piston in a hydraulically or pneumatically operated actuator needs to be accurately known. In the prior art, piston position was determined as a function of the position of the load affected by the operation of the actuator. Such position detectors, however, were often mechanically complicated, rigid in application and subject to failure. Accordingly, the prior art further discloses the use of mechanisms directly located on, or directly actuated by the piston for providing piston position information. Such mechanisms include slide-by type sensors, cam type sensors and detented type sensors. These position detectors, however, are undesirable due to their complexity, expense and sensitivity to pressure fluctuations within the piston cylinder. Accordingly, there is a need for a directly actuated piston position detection mechanism that isolates the sensor from the pressures within the piston cylinder.